Need advice on relocating cats
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We have two cats - a 2.5 year old named Simba and a 4-month old named Koko. Both are with us since kittens, and are used to our place and surroundings. They go out of house and attend their call of nature, and come back and sleep inside the house. Now, a necessity is felt to relocate to a different house, about 5 km away, in the same city. Will both of our cats acclimatize to the new surroundings? What precautions should we take such that they dont get lost there? We don't want to lose them, or also endanger their lives. All words of advice are welcome.
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We have two cats - a 2.5 year old named Simba and a 4-month old named Koko. Both are with us since kittens, and are used to our place and surroundings. They go out of house and attend their call of nature, and come back and sleep inside the house. Now, a necessity is felt to relocate to a different house, about 5 km away, in the same city. Will both of our cats acclimatize to the new surroundings? What precautions should we take such that they dont get lost there? We don't want to lose them, or also endanger their lives. All words of advice are welcome.
Keep them indoors for at least a few weeks/months at the new home. So they realise this is home now, and they will get fed here, and you will be here. Females are less likely to travel far. Males may try and find their old home. If you can afford it, look into GPS tracking devices? In case they escape... cause they will try. When I relocated two cats, one Male, one Female, the female was fine, the male disappeared for over a week. Then one day came back to the new house as if nothing had happened.
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Keep them indoors for at least a few weeks/months at the new home. So they realise this is home now, and they will get fed here, and you will be here. Females are less likely to travel far. Males may try and find their old home. If you can afford it, look into GPS tracking devices? In case they escape... cause they will try. When I relocated two cats, one Male, one Female, the female was fine, the male disappeared for over a week. Then one day came back to the new house as if nothing had happened.
Thanks. Both our cats are male, and so we've to be extra cautious in not letting them go away.
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We have two cats - a 2.5 year old named Simba and a 4-month old named Koko. Both are with us since kittens, and are used to our place and surroundings. They go out of house and attend their call of nature, and come back and sleep inside the house. Now, a necessity is felt to relocate to a different house, about 5 km away, in the same city. Will both of our cats acclimatize to the new surroundings? What precautions should we take such that they dont get lost there? We don't want to lose them, or also endanger their lives. All words of advice are welcome.
In addition to the advice of Storm-blade: you could also tag them with a label with their new address. Or take a look at these cat trackers: 9 Best Cat Trackers In 2022[^]
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We have two cats - a 2.5 year old named Simba and a 4-month old named Koko. Both are with us since kittens, and are used to our place and surroundings. They go out of house and attend their call of nature, and come back and sleep inside the house. Now, a necessity is felt to relocate to a different house, about 5 km away, in the same city. Will both of our cats acclimatize to the new surroundings? What precautions should we take such that they dont get lost there? We don't want to lose them, or also endanger their lives. All words of advice are welcome.
My Ma always said that once a cat had washed itself in a new place, it became home. Once in the new home she would put butter on the cat's paws, so it would lick it off, which, apparently, in cat speak, counts as washing. A few years after the war we moved three times, and we never lost a cat.
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We have two cats - a 2.5 year old named Simba and a 4-month old named Koko. Both are with us since kittens, and are used to our place and surroundings. They go out of house and attend their call of nature, and come back and sleep inside the house. Now, a necessity is felt to relocate to a different house, about 5 km away, in the same city. Will both of our cats acclimatize to the new surroundings? What precautions should we take such that they dont get lost there? We don't want to lose them, or also endanger their lives. All words of advice are welcome.
I'd echo Storm-blade: keep them in for a while. When you do let them out, have their favorite treat to hand so you can recall them after a short time - give them an excuse to come back to a "safe space" and they can acclimatize to new territory slowly. They are generally very territorial animals, and don't react well to changes - so you need to help them get confident particularly if there are existing territories around the new house. Expect some fights if there are (which probably won't get too physical, most cat fights are about avoiding conflict by posturing) and some depression if they lose. While they are indoor-only, remember the golden rules of litter trays: Clean often, and have one more tray than you have cats! A Feliway diffuser can help to relax them during lockdown!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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We have two cats - a 2.5 year old named Simba and a 4-month old named Koko. Both are with us since kittens, and are used to our place and surroundings. They go out of house and attend their call of nature, and come back and sleep inside the house. Now, a necessity is felt to relocate to a different house, about 5 km away, in the same city. Will both of our cats acclimatize to the new surroundings? What precautions should we take such that they dont get lost there? We don't want to lose them, or also endanger their lives. All words of advice are welcome.
Thanks a lot for all your suggestions. Will keep in mind when i move to the new location
